Is hosting the World Cup worth the expense? Most Torontonians say no, according to a recent poll
Only 38 per cent of GTA respondents said they were interested in following the tournament at all
With Toronto’s first World Cup match just one day away, spirits are high around the city—for some, that is. Others are less enthusiastic about the hundreds of thousands of tourists heading our way, the road closures to accommodate them and the $380-million cost of it all.
Related: Where to watch the World Cup in Toronto: a place for fans of each of the 48 participating countries
According to a new poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, 70 per cent of GTA-based respondents said the major sporting event isn’t worth the public cost. And only thirty-three per cent of GTA-based respondents believe the municipal and provincial governments are being transparent about how much money is actually being spent.
Sixty-eight per cent bemoaned the disruption it will cause. (The city has estimated that traffic will become at least 10 per cent worse than usual.)
The inaugural World Cup match at Toronto Stadium is scheduled for tomorrow, with Canada playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Maybe the naysayers will be more excited once things get going. But as of the time of the survey, only 38 per cent said they were interested in following the tournament.
Related: Selling World Cup tickets for more than face value could get you a $25,000 fine
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
